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Talcum powder verdict: What you should know

Bill Moak, Consumer Watch
Published 11:00 a.m. CT July 27, 2018

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A St. Louis jury awarded nearly $4.7 billion in total damages to 22 women and their families after they claimed asbestos in Johnson & Johnson talcum powder contributed to their ovarian cancer. (July 13)
AP

A St. Louis jury on Thursday awarded nearly $4.7 billion in total damages to 22 women and their families after they claimed asbestos in Johnson & Johnson talcum powder contributed to their ovarian cancer.(Photo: ASSOCIATED PRESS)

You may have read or heard about a massive $4.69 billion verdict handed down recently in Missouri after 22 women successfully sued consumer-products giant Johnson & Johnson over claims that their use of the company’s talcum-powder products led to ovarian cancer.

Johnson & Johnson has been a household name in America since Robert Wood Johnson and his two brothers decided to start selling surgical dressings in 1886. It’s a huge corporate success story, and the company has grown to include more than 250 diverse companies in personal health products, pharmaceuticals, medical equipment and others, bringing in more than $76 billion in annual sales.

Claims of cancern in women

Americans have used Johnson & Johnson talcum-powder products for more than 125 years, since the iconic Johnson’s Baby Powder was first sold in 1893. Women soon discovered the products were also useful for personal hygiene, and the company later started selling products designed specifically for that role.

For years, the company’s products have been the subject of thousands of claims that the talc used in Johnson’s Baby Powder, Shower to Shower and other products was contributing to ovarian cancer. Experts are divided on whether there might be increased cancer risk if women use the products in their genital areas. Talc used in these products has been linked previously to asbestos, a potent carcinogen that is often found near natural deposits of talc.

Bill Moak(Photo: Sarah Warnock/Clarion Ledger)

“In its natural form, some talc contains asbestos, a substance known to cause cancers in and around the lungs when inhaled,” the American Cancer Society notes, but adds, “all talcum products used in homes in the United States have been asbestos-free since the 1970s.”

Why did the jury award $4.7B?

Although cancer researchers say they have found few (if any) direct causal links between asbestos-free talc and cancer, the jury awarded the plaintiffs $550 million in compensatory damages and an additional $4.14 billion in punitive damages. It was just the latest in a string of lawsuits, but the largest to date.

Johnson & Johnson said it strongly disagrees with the verdict and plans to appeal.

"The result of the verdict, which awarded the exact same amounts to all plaintiffs irrespective of their individual facts, and differences in applicable law, reflects that the evidence in the case was simply overwhelmed by the prejudice of this type of proceeding," the company said in a statement on its website. "Johnson & Johnson remains confident that its products do not contain asbestos and do not cause ovarian cancer and intends to pursue all available appellate remedies."

So, does talc cause cancer?

Many women reading this and hearing the news are wondering whether they’ve increasing their risk of cancer by having used talcum products. Unfortunately, there is little conclusive information at this point, and we may never know the full story. As is the case with any concern about your health, though, the best advice will come from your doctor or health care provider.

The Mayo Clinic says the cause of ovarian cancers is largely unknown, but what is known is that there is increased risk to women over 50, those with known genetic cancer markers, those with a family history of ovarian cancer, those undergoing estrogen replacement therapy and others.

Ovarian cancer risk should be taken seriously; it takes the lives of 14,000 American women each year, but there is good news: The American Cancer Society says diagnoses have been falling steadily over the past two decades.

But the organization still advises women to be careful until more information comes to light.

“It is not clear if consumer products containing talcum powder increase cancer risk,” the Cancer Society notes on its website. “Studies of personal use of talcum powder have had mixed results, although there is some suggestion of a possible increase in ovarian cancer risk. There is very little evidence at this time that any other forms of cancer are linked with consumer use of talcum powder. Until more information is available, people concerned about using talcum powder may want to avoid or limit their use of consumer products that contain it.”